Rose
by nolapeep
Summary: Do I really like Sam? Well, of course I do. Oh God... So what am I going to get Sam for Valentine's Day? The question is, actually: Am I gonna tell her?
1. Happy Valentine's Day

The picture is at this html (without the spaces) :  
http:// chely2006. deviantart. com / art/ Trying-to-confess-42460198

* * *

"Hapy Valentine's Day, Danny," Jazz cheered, bursting into Danny's room. Danny goraned as he rolled onto his side, turning his view away from his overly-perky sister.

"Go away," he mummbled, pulling his sheets over his head. "Lemme sleep..."

Jazz glanced at her watch and replied, "You have to get dressed! The bus is almost here."

"Well, have fun going to school," Danny scoffed. "_I_ don't want to move." Jazz sighed, flipping the light switch. With the lights on, Danny screeched, "AHHHHHH! THE LIGHT!!!! IT _BURNS_!!!!" and shielded his eyes from the brightness of his room. Jazz sighed once more before making her way out of Danny's room.

--

"Have you found a valentine, yet?" Danny asked Tucekr, walking up to the bus stop. Tucker grinned and responded, "What do you think?"

"No one asked you, and you've asked almost every girl in the school, and they've all said no?" Danny guessed. Tucker's smile faded away as he slowly nodded.

"What a _shocker_," Danny added sarcastically, startign to laugh. After he was done, the two teenagers stood in silence. Then, Tucker inquired, "Have you asked her yet?"

"Who? Paulina? Well, I need to get near her-"

"No, not her."

"Valerie? Well, maybe I could see her on the way to-"

"No, not her, either."

"Then, who?"

"Are you really asking me that?" Danny, then, paused to think. Coming to a revelation, he said, "Why would I ask her?"

Tucekr laughed. "Cause you like her."

"That's not true."

"Wait...you're right." Danny grinned.

"Tha's right."

"Yes, you don't like her; you _love_ her."

"Woah! That's a little much!" Tucekr smiled.

"Well, I had to say that to prove my point."

"What point?"

"That you like Sam." Tucker quietly added, "_Love_ Sam."

Danny sighed then looked around. Abruptly, he turned to Tucker. "Why do you have to do this _today_?"

"Do what?" Tucker answered innocently.

"This!" Danny argued, impatiently. He threw his hands in frustation, then groaned wearily. "Not today, Tuck, okay? Not on Valentine's Day."

"Why not?" Tucker shrugged. "You need to admit it sometime."

"It had to be Valentine's Day?" Danny continued.

"Yup." was Tucker's simple answer. Once more, the boys stood in silence, letting Dannyhave the chance to think about the situation.

_Do I really like Sam? _

_Well, of course I do._

_Oh God... So what am I going to get Sam for Valentine's Day?_

_The question is, actually: Am I gonna tell her?_

Danny was left at that before someone touched his shoulder. He jumped, but then turned to see Sam.

Sam laughed in response to Danny's reaction then said, "Happy Valentine's Day," blushing.

"Ahem?" Tucker coughed into his hand. Then it clicked in Danny's head.

A sign? Count on it.


	2. Class

_She _blushed. _That must be some sign or something...__So, should I tell her?_

_Yeah... I think I should._

"Uh, you, too," Danny stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, Sam."

All of a sudden, a cry was heard from the mob of popular kids. "Yay!" shrieked Paulina. "The bus is here! Now I get heart-shaped candy!"

Sam rolled her eyes in response. "Yippee," she mumbled sarcastically. "Candy."

--

"In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we're going to be doing poems today," Mr. Lancer said, passing through the rows of desks. "You will all write a poem that consits of thirty lines." Danny watched as Kwan started to raise his hand.

"It can be rhyming, but it doesn't have to," Mr. Lancer added quickly. Kwan yessed, along with the class, then went to work. But then, Danny groaned a little too loud. As if attempting to not cause any commotion, he cradled his head in his arms.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Fenton?" Mr. Lancer soon inquired.

Danny meet Mr. Lancer's gase, forced a smile on, and, through gridded teeth, replied, "Everything's _peachy_, Mr. Lancer."

Danny noticed his teacher's eyebrow go up in questioning, but he said nothing more. He watched as Mr. Lancer sat down behind his desk and pronounced, "Well then, get started," and pused his lips together.

Soon, there were sounds of pencils scratching against paper, and concentrated looks on the faces surrounding Danny. He watched as Sam mutedly whispered the words to herself, seeming to make sure every word was said and-slash-or spelled correctly.

Then, Danny decided to concentrate on his own work. Tapping his pencil on his desk, he tried for something...but nothing came to him. Danny eventually gave up, and tossed the pencil on his desk in defeat. He recoiled against the bar of his desk then suddenly came up with an idea.

Danny closed his eyes, concentrating on the distant feeling he used to always feet. Danny focused on his ice power, and soon enough, he felt like the room was twenty degrees.

"Mr. Lancer?" Danny called, raising his hand.

Mr. Lancer moaned in response, then asked, "What is it, Fenton?" Danny forced his eyes shut and didn't answer, trying to be a little dramatic. Mr. Lancer abruptly got out from behind his desk and walked over to Danny. He placed his hand on his student's forehead, feeling for his temperature.

"_Mother of Pearl_! You're freezing!" Immediately, the eyes of Danny's fellow students snapped to give him attention. Danny, who then observed Sam's eyebrow go up in suspition, groaned for effect.

_Does she know...?_

"Go see the nurse, this instant!" Mr. Lancer demanded, helping Danny out of his seat.

_With the assignment off my back, I might be able to actually build up the courage to _tell _Sam!_


	3. All because I like her

Danny quietly went ghost behind the school, and flew off. After a few minutes, he landed himself near a flower shop. He quickly purchased a red rose and sped home.

_What are I gonna say?_

_Ugh... I don't know._

Danny tiptoed silently into his room, and closed the door. He flopped onto his bed, then sat upright, noticing something.

The rose was red.

Sam didn't like anything related to pink. And, when red was mixed with white...it was PINK!

"Where's the spray-paint?" Danny demanded to no one in particular. He groaned as he changed into _Danny Phantom_ and went intangiable. Danny phased through the floorboards until he reached his parents' lab.

"Spray-paint...?" he muttered quietly, searching throguh the junk surrounding him. "Where's the spray-paint?!" Danny searched for a while, then stumbled upon a can of purple spray-paint.

He traveled to his room, once more, then painted the red rose purple. He laid it on his compter desk, planted himself on his bed, again, and began to think.

_What would I say?_

_When would I give it to her?_

_Would I ask her to meet me somewhere?_

_A nice picnic or dinner? A sunset viewing?_

_Does Sam even _like _romanic stuff?! _

_Would I actually have the guts to give the rose to her...? _

_Would I chicken out?_

_Would she respond?_

_Would she tear my heart out of my chest and stomp on it infront of me, just by saying no?_

_Would she accept the rose?_

Danny sighed as he held the purple rose up to his face, examining it closely. He played with the leaf, thinking...

_This could, also, completey corrupt out friendship...if she would say no._

_Everything would be awkward._

_We would pass by eachother in the halls, and not speak to eachother...probably avoid all eye contact._

_There would be no more get-togethers on Friday nights._

_No more movies._

_No more ghost-hunting together._

_She would turn prep, trying to not be the Sam I know and love._

_She would go by _Samantha_ and be bestfriends with Paulina, instead of loathing her like the normal Sam does. _

_And worse... __She would tell everyone that I'm _Danny Phantom.

As the nightmare unfolded in Danny's mind, he clutched his head and repeated, "That's not true. Everything's gonna be okay."

_All because I like her._

_Everything could go wrong...all because I like her._


	4. Thoughts in the Park

Danny tossed the rose onto the floor beneath his bed and dug his face into his pillow.

"Stupid feelings," he muttered. "Just let me be." But he couldn't live without knowing...without knowing if the possibility of Sam liking him back was fact.

"Just suck it in," Danny whispered, getting onto the floor and grasping the purple flower. "You have to tell her... Maybe she'll respond." Still being in his _Phantom_ form, he flew out his bedroom window and headed for Sam's house.

--

"Bird!" Danny exclaimed, trying not to hit the bird. "Tree!" He swerved, trying not to land in the plant's branches. "Kite!" Danny phased through the kite without needing ot use any energy. He sighed, breathing in sweet oxygen. "Blue skies... Plane?!" He panicked, then somehow landed in the grass in the Amity Park park.

"Idiot!" Danny hissed to himself. "You almost hit a freakin' _plane_?!" He smacked himself mentally as he mindlessly turned back into his _Fenton _form.

"I need to walk," Danny muttered, getting back on his feet. He took out the purple rose, making sure if it was okay. Danny nodded to himself, the stored it away, again.

"Uh, Sam," Danny stated, reciting what he was going to try to say. "We've been friends for a while, but I -- Ugh!" He sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Why is everything so complicated?"

"Happy Valen -- Ugh. Here, this is -- No...not right. I want you to have th -- Nyah. This isn't working." Danny groaned as he brushed his fingers through his black hair. He sat on a nearby bench and stared at his feet.

_What was I thinking? I can't do this!_

_I need more practice._

_I knew it! I _knew_ I was gonna chicken out... I'm a failure._

_I hate me._

_I need some help._

_I need to go home._

Danny groaned as he worked his way back. After a few minutes of traveling, he started thinking once more.

He _had_ to tell her. It was emotionally killing him. He was dying inside, keeping everything to himself. But, he had to, right? Everytime he tried to vent to Tucker, his best friend would just make fun of him... Tucker didn't seem like he could listen. Everyone did. So Danny decided to keep quiet.

She ment everything to him. They were best friends, yes, but to Danny? Oh, more... More than best friends. So much more. Danny loved her with all of his heart, and he worried about telling her. Don't get him wrong... Danny _wanted_ to; he _needed _to. Sam not knowing was terrible, and agonizingly painful.

"I have to tell her. She needs to know. It's not gonna be that bad if she knew, right? Yeah. Everything would be okay!" And then and there... Danny made up his mind. He knew what he was going to do, and he was going to stick with it.

He was going to tell her.


	5. Surprise Meetings

Being exhausted, Danny sat beneath a nearby tree. This much thinking was killing him...and the walking. Breathing unevenly, he took the rose out of his back pocket and placed it on the ground next to him. Then, he began having thoughts.

_What am I doing here? _

_I had the rest of the day off, and I've been worrying my whole day away about whether my best friend will accept my rose, my question...and me. _

Danny gazed around, looking for some buildings to determine where he was, but he couldn't find any...no signs or anything. He groaned as he realized that he was going to walk some more.

--

"Sam's worth this," Danny mumbled to himself. "Sam is worth...being active." Danny leaned against another tree, sliding down to a sitting position. He sat there, gazing into the grass. Then, something hit him.

"I could've gone ghost and flown to Sam's!" Danny cried, astonished with his stupididty. "I have been walking for no freaking _reason_!" He raised his hands up in frustrastion then brought them down quickly, slamming them against the ground.

"Ouch!" Danny yelled in pain, rubbing his hands. "I need to go to anger management."

Danny looked around, then spotted a street sign. "I'm almost to Sam's," he confirmed to himself. Danny got on his feet, made sure the purple plant was okay, again, and went to change back to his _Phantom_ form. But, halfway through, the blue rings dissappeared.

"What the...?" Danny whispered. Then he came to a revelation. "I'm too tired to go ghost. Danggit." And with that, he started to make his way to the Manson Mansion.

--

"What time is it?" Danny wondered out loud, checking his watch. "5:30." He looked around. "And I'm gonna get there in about ten minutes." After that statement, Danny started to walk some more.

_I have to tell her._

_She'll take it just fine!_

_Just imagine of she says yes...if she accepts the rose!_

_Everything will be okay._

_But, what if she doesn't?_

_Oh no. __I can't do this. _

_It's too much... _

_Maybe we could stay best friends, just for now. _

_Nothing would be awkward, and everything would be okay._

_We'd still be best friends...but I am gonna kill myself by doing that!_

_I could wait a few days...or years...or decades...or never tell her._

_But, she could go out with that Elliot dude! _

_I am NOT going to allow that._

_No._

_I am going to tell her. _

"Danny!" he turned around, wondering who could be calling him. Danny's heart dropped as he realized who it was.

Sam.

Before she could spot it, Danny hid the purple rose behind his back. "Sam?" he replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came back from your house," Sam explained. Then she blushed. "I was dropping your homework off." Sam paused before continuing, "What are _you _doing over here? This path goes to my house."

Danny turned a darker red then his best friend. He had to think of something, and _fast_. "Oh, I was going to _get _my homework."

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you were sick. You couldn't even move, today in class," Sam said, eyeing Danny with curiosity. Danny laughed, nervously.

_Go ahead, Danny! Tell her! This is your time!_

_Hide the rose, Danny. It's too early for this! She doesn't feel the same way._

Danny searched his mind, trying to come up with something. But, he just went blank. Danny could help himself, but get lost inside Sam's eyes.

"Danny?" Sam broke through his thoughts. "What's up? What's going on?" Danny took a deep breath, but then sighed. How was he going to tell her? He couldn't just hand the rose to her...he had to say something.

"Danny?" Sam was starting to get worried. Had Danny gotten together with Valerie again? Did he have the guts to tell her? "Danny, what's wrong?" Did something happen to Tucker? Jazz?

Danny was ready to tell her. He had to...or we was going to die. Danny was going to. He vowed to himself...he needed to. She had the right to know, too.

Sam bit her lip in anxiety, and shifted her position, ready to lean on something if Dann'y news was bad.

But Danny couldn't tell her. Him and Sam's friendship could be ruined, if this went all wrong. He wasn't ready for that.. At least, not yet.

"Danny? What's wrong?!" Sam's tone was urgent, now. This was getting out of hand.

He had to tell her. Sam had to know. It was time... Danny couldn't wait anymore.

Danny just showed Sam a reassuring smile, letting her know everything was okay. Then, he grasped the rose tightly...

...and made it go invisible. Maybe it wasn't time yet.


End file.
